Things I covet... Birthday/Xmas edition

It's no coincidence this time of the year is the most expensive for my credit card.  Minutes after complaining to S about our spending this month on our way home from lunch (out), I order these online.  One for me and one for S!  It's not my fault his birthday is coming up in 5 days!!

As with everything I buy for S, there is a 50% return potential.  But who doesn't love cashmere, and this is such a classic cut.

In my pregnant state, cardigans are my friends.  There is the purple one I wore everywhere until the Chicago trip put it in the dry cleaners.  Maybe this can be another staple?  We shall see. 

I have been searching for booties for quite sometime.  Are these the one??  They are reasonably priced for sure.  I should just order them.  Is there a limit to how many times I can use my cc in one day???

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/tyler-florence-thanksgiving-dinner/?pkey=cthanksgiving-food&cm_src=thanksgiving-food||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

For $400, you can have Thanksgiving dinner for 12 delivered to your door!  Plus extra 15.99 for shipping.  I recently cooked a brisket for 5 where the dinner costed me about $200.  I did have to buy a roasting pan for the 6 lb brisket!  My point is, $400 for a peace of mind may be well worth it!

More attainable... just the festive can makes me happy. 

See those small yet not-so-small starburst earrings by David Yurman?  Well... those have been on my mind for the past 360 days.  I have seen them twice in person, tried them on once, thought about them every time S mentions buying me something.  The thing is, I have always been proud of the fact that I'm not a jewelry person, thus feel (slightly) better about spending more liberally on purses and shoes.  But really, who doesn't love these.  So small, stunning, understated but wow.  Maybe if I'm good for the rest of the year...  

2014 where did you go?

This year started rather tumultuously, I thought.  Year of the horse seems so auspicious, but kicked me in the butt quite a few times.  It's not over yet, arguably the most important part is yet to come... Fingers crossed.

We moved into our new house!  Actually this happened in August 2013, closed on the 29th.  But it didn't really feel like home until this year, when what seemed a vast amount of empty space began to fill in with clutters of daily life.  I find myself scrambling for storage space in this 4000 sq ft house for two.

I turned 32!  S and I celebrated at The Optimist, one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta.  I told S I didn't want anything for my birthday, but on the day of we went to the mall and walked away with the most lovely Burberry toggle coat with fur trimmed hat.  I felt very very spoiled. And very very lucky.

Snow day 2014.  A different fur collar with a different coat. 

Backyard view of my neighbor's house.  Doesn't it look so idyllic in the snow?

Snow Apocalypse in Atlanta!  (Almost) trapped at work.  After a three hour car ride home, only to be picked up by monster truck to return to work the next day.  Staying at Econolodge and Hampton Inn with Hadrami.  Oh winter, please be more kind this year. 

San Francisco Reunion!!  Where I was introduced to Japanese Ramen, how fast babies grow, and still dreaming of the insanely yummy shaved ice (which is really not ice at all but some sweet creamy light fluffy cream).

S and I bought not one but two cars within a span of 3 months.  Will never forget how happy (and proud?) my dad was when I returned his camry.  There was the first toyota camry, then the green Mitsubishi sport, then black Avalon, finally this camry is the only one I was responsible enough to return (even fixed the scratch).  I think it means I can take care of myself now, or something like that.

My sweet mom turned 60.  Yet she is not one day over 40, or 35, to me...  Still not a single strand of grey hair.  Still takes care of me when I am sick.  Still the person I want to talk to the most when sad/happy/sleepy.  Love my mommy.

Cutie

L'Atalier de Joel Robuchon

View from Cosmopolitan

Weekend trip to Vegas, Steve's favorite place in the world. Ok maybe not... but pretty close.

 NOLA/Biloxi trip in May, right before our lives changed forever.  S asked me on the trip - "you're eating a lot. are you pregnant?" Me - "No!"

There it is, the elusive two lines.  The funny thing is, once it's positive, there is no doubt in the world it's positive (although I have heard of tests where the second line is only slightly dark).  I think at one point I had about five of them all lined up.  S wanted to be sure.  It's the most thrilling/magical moment of our married life.  S: "what do we do now?" Me: "I don't know. I think it just grows." :)

 20 weeks and growing.  Still the most thrilling/magical, but also the most scary/nerve-wrecking/out-of-my-control experience.

Baby Do and I getting inspired by Oprah.

October in Chicago

"the Wild Bean"

Brothers!

The best turkey sandwich at The Publican Chicago.  I have been ordering sandwiches everywhere in Atlanta since I got back, but they all fall short. It's in the bread (fried I think), the melted fontina, and whatever else (I think an onion vinegar of some sort) is happening.  And the kale salad with bits of feta cheese, very envious of that salad. 

October in Chicago is breathtakingly beautiful.  When the weather isn't cold enough to take your breath away, the beautiful waterfront will.

Two hour wait to get into Wasabi for the famous torched pork belly Ramen Noodle.  Amazing. 

Margie's Ice Cream.  I wasn't sure what the big deal was, whether it was worth the waiting and the line and putting up with the chaos that is this (well-known) establishment.  I mean, ice cream is ice cream right?  This is a banana split with chocolate, coconut, and mint chocolate ice cream with hot fudge sundae in its own boat.  I have been craving it since.  Go figure. 

Our trip to Chicago trip is splendid.  Despite sprained ankles and sciatic leg, we hobbled our way from one restaurant to the next.  Not pictured is the Chicago pizza, legendarily good; the smell of caramel and cheddar cheese popcorn; and S trying to find me water along the Chicago River bank despite his swollen ankle.  Yep, still my favorite travel partner.

Happy Halloween.  My favorite holiday came and went, along with my favorite month.  S and I have been married for two years on 10.29.2014, and we celebrated with a steak at Ruth Chris.  No special gifts, we're old married couples now.

I will be working this Thanksgiving, but still, the spirit of the holidays is not wasted on me.  I love any holiday that involves cooking and eating.

Looking forward to our little Christmas tree, filling it with gifts, and for once spending Xmas day with family and seeing these gifts being opened.  Looking forward to baby Do growing bigger and bigger, and me heavier and heavier.  I'm getting fat and there is nothing I can or want to do about it.  Sometimes in life, all is well and I am thankful.

Fall

In the blink of an eye, October is almost over.  I remind myself that Halloween is yet to come to ease the passing of my favorite month, this year at least.  The two pumpkins on my front porch may not get carved, as I am trying to take it easy.  We will also not watch a scary movie this year, since our movie choice last year is haunting me still.

Oprah - The Life You Want

One evening in early April, my friend texted me - Oprah is coming to Atlanta!  Minutes later we both bought tickets to see her.  Months pass by, before we know it it's September and we are standing in line in Hotlanta at the Phillips Arena, in our heels, waiting to see the O!

Truth be told, I haven't given a lot of thought to this event.  I had no idea what to expect.  My friend reminded me to bring a pen and notebook, so I did.  I wasn't even in the mood to be inspired.  I simply wanted to see Oprah in person.  All those years after school I have watched her on TV, felt so inspired, connected, changed.

The first thing that jilted something in me was when Oprah said this - we only have a finite amount of time and finite amount of energy on this Earth.  Too often we invade other people's energy field, where we have NO POWER!  Instead we should cultivate our own energy field, where we can actually make a difference.

Ok, those are not her words exactly, but it struck such a cord with me.  Haven't I been meddling in a co-worker's energy field more than I care to admit, trying to re-vamp it (him)??  Haven't it been driving me crazy at work on a weekly basis that this person just isn't getting any better??!

Enough.  I have no power there.

Then she said live your life with intentions.  Sounds vague, no?  It actually makes a lot of sense.  She says you're either walking towards love or walking towards fear.  FEAR.   Live consciously, make conscientious choices, ask yourself - what is your intention in doing this??  Sometimes I do things mindlessly.  Too often out of fear.

Years ago I picked up a saying on her show and it have stayed with me all through the years (and quoted by me countless times to friends) -when in doubt, do nothing.

Elizabeth Gilbert was there too!!  She is such a powerful speaker (I have since watched her TED talks).  I soaked up all her words, and didn't even take that many notes.  I jotted down only this "All change involve motion, and all motion brings uncertainty."

Fall is coming.

I saw this sentiment across my favorite blogs, and jolted me with an excitement and happiness.  Even now, just the word FALL, makes me smile.  Gold and red leaves, cool sweater weather, unearthing all my boots,  and getting ready for my favorite holiday, Halloween!  October has always been my favorite month of the year.  Now that I have my own house, my own golden leaves, and my very own witch sign outside the door, makes the holiday season that much more special.

Mom is here for another two weeks.  She has made our life so much easier, made me so much fatter, and spoiled Steve rotten by folding all his laundry and doing all the dishes.  Steve doesn't know yet, as I do, we will miss her terribly.  As much as I'm looking forward to life of two again, I know I'll feel an empty void for days.  I'm dreading dropping her off at the airport already.

Eating chocolate until my teeth hurt, that's exactly what I did for the past 10 minutes.  Occasionally I would drink a sip of water to wash the caramel off my teeth.  Then on to the next one.  So far my favorite are kisses and Rojo.

pedicure, hair, and flowers.

All the madness of 2014 is finally simmering down, just a little.  Getting over my second cold in two months, getting in a summery mood with a pedicure (I think I finally found a place I like almost as much as The Venetian in Birmingham), getting excited about NOLA trip next next weekend, and finally getting 6 full days of rest (actually recovering from my cold).

Purple with a Purpose.   I have been known to pick the color because of the name!  "Significant Other" and "you're such a Kabuki queen" come to mind.

Maybe wearing this lucky cat sweater will turn my luck around?  It's 30% off right now but still more than I want to pay… Ask me again at 50% off.

NICE hair, right?  Looks simple enough.  But one expensive curling iron and many a burnt fingers later -  a mess of curls in turning in every direction.  Very tempting to chop it all off.

Obsessing a little with potted plants.  Now that my own little pot of impatiens have survived ONE week, I'm eager to invest in more.

This lonely little pot of flowers is very loved.  Watered everyday, except when it rains.  It came in a plastic pot and S and I transplanted it together.  It's a labor of love.

Yesterday we bought patio furniture.  It seems really silly to me that we would buy furniture for the OUTSIDE of the house when the inside isn't entirely furnished yet.  But I have a weakness for Ikea meatballs and weakness for saying yes to my husband.  Besides things from Ikea doesn't seem as big of a commitment, like they can always be downgraded into the basement (indeed, our basement is full of Ikea downgrades).

After a morning of googling houzz and some of my favorite bloggers, I'm putting my foot down - the next project around this house will be change the lights.  There is not a single light fixture that I love around here, and I truly believe a good light transforms a space and changes the mood (of the house and the people living in it).

You know what I love even more than the antique light, the black door, and the little wooden horse?  The bight lime green ultra modern picture on the right wall.  So bold, so unexpected, so perfect.  http://brillanteinteriors.blogspot.com

I have blogged about this before and I will blog about it again, because it is amazing!  I'm sitting across the hallway from my formal dining room RIGHT THIS MOMENT and imagining this balloon light above the table.  AMAZING.  http://apparatusstudio.com/products/cloud-2/

More subtle, more like something I would have.  See what I mean about a light fixture transforming a space?  Instant class.

http://www.designmom.com/2013/11/living-with-kids-trina-mcneilly/